Boocoo Dinky Dow
  • Home
  • Buy the book
  • Excerpt
  • Blog
  • The authors

Grady's memoir in the Vietnam Center and Archive

2/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War has been accepted for inclusion in the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University. Created in 1989, the archive is  home to the largest collection of Vietnam related material outside the U.S. National Archives.

How cool is that?

Even if you can't visit Lubbock to go through the files and look at materials such as the Grady Myers memoir, you can sit at your computer and do research thanks to the collection's virtual archive. You can look in the map database. You can search the operations database. You can browse the  oral histories and listen to folks tell their stories of Vietnam. (Too bad we don't have an audio interview with Grady to include.)

How great to know that this part of our history -- difficult, controversial, significant -- is being saved for generations to study.


0 Comments

Veteran remembers Grady, the schoolboy artist

2/5/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureA Grady Myers self-portrait
When a squad leader in Vietnam assigned Grady Myers to design a logo for the men's helmet covers, he became one of many people who sought the favor of Grady's artistic talents over the years. One of the first to do so was his pal Bob Benzon, an Air Force veteran who also served in 'Nam.

Bob and Grady knew each other as young teenagers back in 1963-65. They were classmates at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts, where their dads were stationed. They lost track of each other after that. It wasn't until Bob learned about Grady's memoir "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War" that he knew what became of his chum.

In a recent letter, Bob described Grady as a natural artist.

"He doodled in his school notebooks all the time, and did little sketches for me, but only with a bit of prodding.  He could knock these things out very quickly in a style I could characterize as 'hurried realism.'  The art people probably have a better name for the genre.  No erasing, no modifications, just straight from pencil to paper, and that was so cool to me.  His drawings (mostly of WWII subjects) put a person right there ... if you get my drift."

Bob said most of the "Air Force brats" had at least a passing interest in the military.

"Many followed in their father's footsteps into various branches, often over the objections of their parents. My theory on that is that most of our dads were WWII vets (boys back then wanted similar experiences), but the dads knew what combat could do to a person inside. So, when we went in, the dads were proud, but scared.

"I served as a 2nd then 1st lieutenant pilot in the 362nd Tactical Warfare Squadron flying airplanes much older than I was, Douglas EC-47s. My war was quite benign ... take off, stooge around for a few hours fixing targets with radio triangulation, call the shooters in, land the airplane, over and over again. I was stationed at Da Nang, we only got hit once in the air.  We got rocketed out of our beds once a week or so on base, but I cannot imagine what the Army guys out in the jungle went through."

Guys like Grady, who came back with a Purple Heart and lots of stories.

Bob, who lives in Virginia, returned from Vietnam without a scratch. A sharp salute to him for tracking me down to share his memories -- and, of course, for his six years of military service.


0 Comments

    

    Julie Titone is co-author of the Grady Myers memoir "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War." Grady was an M-60 machine gunner in The U.S. Army's Company C’s 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division in late 1968 and early 1969. His Charlie Company comrades knew him as Hoss. Thoughts, comments? Send Julie an email.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    November 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    May 2016
    November 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    1st Air Cavalry
    Against Football
    Ambush
    Apollo 8
    Art School
    Audiobook
    Barracks
    Betty Rodgers
    Bill Crist
    Bob Benzon
    Bob Robbins
    Boise
    Boocoo Dinky Dow
    Book Signings
    Boonie Hat
    Branson
    Bravo!
    Bush Hat
    Carroll McInroe
    Charlie Company
    Chicago
    Christmas 1968
    Creighton Abrams
    Dak To
    Dan Webster
    Dave Mueller
    Dennis Harris
    Depression
    Dispatches
    D'Wayne Hodgin
    Ed Bremer
    Ernest Hemingway
    Ford Thunderbird
    Fort Lewis
    FORWARD
    George Callan
    Grady Myers
    Grady Myers
    Guest Readers
    Hawk
    Helicopter
    Infantry
    Jane Cherney
    Jeffrey Fellin
    Jess Walter
    Joe Tschida
    John Titone
    Joint Base Lewis Mcchord
    Joint Base Lewis-McChord
    Joseph Heller
    Julie Titone
    Ken Rodgers
    Khe Sanh
    Krfp Radio
    Krfp Radio Interview
    KSER
    Letters
    Library
    Maree Mchugh
    Memorial Day
    Michael Herr
    Michael Simpson
    Microphone
    Morgan Sports Cars
    National Veterans Art Museum
    Native American
    Neill Public Library
    Oak Harbor
    Patrick Flanagan
    Paul Ridley
    Pilot
    Plei Trap
    Podcast
    Ray Heltsley
    Reunion
    Richard Nixon Quote
    Sherman Alexie
    SPAM
    Spokane Public Library
    Spokesman-Review
    Steve Almond
    Steve Orr
    Teddy Fisher
    Texas Tech
    Tim Woodward
    Tom Williams
    Veterans
    Veterans Day
    Victor Villanueva
    Vietnam Archive
    Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association
    Vietnam Veterans Memorial
    Walt Morrow
    Washington Dc
    Washington State University
    Willys Jeepster
    World War II
    Zack

    RSS Feed